DanceFlow
Switching from The Studio Director

DanceFlow vs The Studio Director

DanceFlow is built for ballroom and partner dance: private-lesson packages, couples, teacher pay and competitions. Here is what a studio like yours needs, what DanceFlow does about it and what The Studio Director says on its own pages, side by side. Then how little work the move is.

01

Why a ballroom studio picks DanceFlow

Ballroom and private-lesson studios. Everything below is something DanceFlow does today.

  • Private lessons, doubles and Pro/Am, booked against lesson packages that count down as lessons are taught.

  • Invoices, payments and a money ledger behind them, with the reports an owner opens every morning.

  • Teacher pay, renewals that are due and what every student owes, without a spreadsheet.

  • A free portal for students and parents: the schedule, what is left on a package, invoices and messages.

  • Competitions in the same system: entries, heats, judging and results. DanceFlow is not NDCA-sanctioned.

  • One plan for the whole studio, with unlimited students and teachers. Students, parents and teachers never pay.

Side by side

What a ballroom studio needs

The DanceFlow column is what the app does today. The The Studio Director column quotes The Studio Director's own public pages, each with a link to the page. Where those pages are silent on something, the row says so, and that is all it says.

What it costs

DanceFlow

Free during early access. When paid plans begin, $89 a month or $799 a year, with unlimited students and teachers.

The Studio Director

Listed from $65 a month for up to 100 students, or $39 with their payment processing, rising with the number of students.

Source Private-lesson packages

DanceFlow

Packages count down as lessons are taught. A lesson taken with nothing left takes the balance below zero instead of going unrecorded, and the next package sold pays it first.

The Studio Director

Their help center

“Add the types of class cards that you offer”
Source Couples and partners

DanceFlow

A couple can share one package. A couple lesson takes one credit from it and nothing from the partner, and each partner can still keep their own Pro/Am package.

The Studio Director

Not described on the public pages we read.

Teacher pay

DanceFlow

Per lesson, by the hour, by the day, a salary, salary and lessons, or a formula, set for each teacher, with a pay run from the lessons they taught.

The Studio Director

Their website

“Automatically tracks what classes/students each instructor has taught”
Source Competitions

DanceFlow

Competition trips with entries and what each one costs. For organizers: heats across several floors, judges marking on a phone, and results by the Skating System. DanceFlow is not NDCA-sanctioned.

The Studio Director

Their help center

“Events can be recitals, competitions, or any event”
Source Parents and families

DanceFlow

A free portal for parents with every child they are linked to: the schedule, lessons left, invoices and messages.

The Studio Director

Their pricing page

“Customer portal for online registration included”
Source Between lessons

DanceFlow

A lesson diary of what was worked on, and a practice timer dancers start between lessons when the studio turns it on.

The Studio Director

Their website

“Skill charts are used to track student skills and goals”
Source Showcases and tickets

DanceFlow

Tickets for a showcase or party, each with a QR code, scanned at the door with an iPhone camera. Each ticket gets in once.

The Studio Director

Their website

“Organize your performances, ticket sales, charge for your recitals”
Source Camps

DanceFlow

Training camps with a timetable, groups, coaches, packages, a waitlist and a public link for dancers from other studios.

The Studio Director

Their FAQ

“How do I set up camps?”
Source Languages

DanceFlow

The app and this site in 14 languages, among them English, Finnish, Swedish, German, Spanish and Chinese.

The Studio Director

Not described on the public pages we read.

Phone and watch

DanceFlow

iPhone and iPad apps with Home and Lock Screen widgets, Apple Watch, and a Live Activity for the lesson in progress.

The Studio Director

Their website

“Get your own custom branded app for your studio”
Source Answering the phone

DanceFlow

AI Front Desk, to answer the studio's phone, is coming soon. It is not live yet.

The Studio Director

Not described on the public pages we read.

Moving your records

DanceFlow

The importer has a The Studio Director setting. Students, families, package balances and the calendar come in checked row by row, an import can be undone, and there is no setup fee.

The Studio Director

Their pricing page

“Support and training are always FREE”
Source

Compared with each product's public pages on October 23, 2026. Products change; tell us if something is out of date.

The Studio Director is a trademark of its owner; DanceFlow is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by The Studio Director.

The Studio Director website www.thestudiodirector.comThe Studio Director pricing www.thestudiodirector.com/pricing
02

Switching from The Studio Director is easier than it sounds

You export files from The Studio Director, the importer reads them, and you check every row before anything is saved. Setting up takes an afternoon, and The Studio Director keeps running until you are ready.

  • The importer has a setting for files from The Studio Director. It knows the column headings The Studio Director exports are known to use, shows every match it made and lets you change any of them.

  • It brings in teachers, students and families, package balances, the lessons already promised on the calendar, class rosters, past lessons and past payments.

  • Past payments arrive as history. No report counts them as new revenue.

  • An import can be undone while nothing has been built on what it brought in.

  • Setting up is included: bringing your roster across from a spreadsheet, setting up packages and policies, and running both systems until you are ready.

Files from The Studio Director the importer already knows

  • Teachers
  • Students
  • Families & guardians
  • Future calendar
  • Class rosters
  • Payment history

Any other list comes in from a spreadsheet, with a step where you match the columns yourself.

  • The headings come from public documentation and public walkthroughs, not from a live export of every The Studio Director account. Treat the first match as a suggestion and check it.

Getting your file out of The Studio Director

  1. In The Studio Director, open Reports and run Student Contact List.

  2. To bring only current students, tag your active students first and run the report for that tag.

  3. Export the report to Excel and choose the file above. Check the column matches in the next step.

These are the steps DanceFlow shows on its Import screen, where "above" is the place you choose the file.

Your first week

What changes in your first week

Nothing has to stop on the day you start. The Studio Director keeps running while DanceFlow fills up, and you move the front desk over when you trust it.

  1. 1

    Day 1

    Set up the studio

    Create your studio, add your teachers and set your packages, prices and policies. Teachers join with a code from the studio.

  2. 2

    Days 1 and 2

    Bring your records from The Studio Director

    Export from The Studio Director and import students, families and package balances, then the lessons already booked. Check each row in the preview first.

  3. 3

    Days 3 to 5

    Book ahead in DanceFlow

    Book the coming weeks in DanceFlow while The Studio Director finishes the current ones. Teachers see their day in the app.

  4. 4

    End of the week

    Invite students and switch

    Invite students and parents when you are ready, and move the front desk over on a quiet day. Keep The Studio Director until you no longer open it.

Start free with your own studio, bring one file from The Studio Director, and see your own students on the schedule.

Coming from somewhere else?

All comparisons